The Supreme Court decided to review the appeal case over charges of engaging in key duties in an insurrection involving former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and former Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min at the full bench.
On the 5th, the Supreme Court said, "Public interest in the two cases is very high, a judicial assessment is historically necessary, and the defendants are co-conspirators, so a combined review is needed," adding, "They will be reviewed at the full bench at the request of each petty bench."
Until now, the cases of the former prime minister and the former minister had been heard by the Second Petty Bench (presiding Justice Oh Kyung-mi) and the Third Petty Bench (presiding Justice Lee Heung-gu), respectively. Once referred to the full bench, all Supreme Court justices except the head of the National Court Administration will hear the case.
Appeal cases are usually decided by a petty bench of four Supreme Court justices. If consensus is not reached in a petty bench, if existing precedent must be changed, or if it is inappropriate for a petty bench to hear the case, it is referred to the full bench.
The former prime minister was indicted on charges including engaging in key duties in an insurrection for proposing that a Cabinet meeting be convened to create the appearance that former President Yoon Suk-yeol's Dec. 3 emergency martial law proclamation had gone through Cabinet deliberation, and for attempting to obtain signatures from Cabinet members after the proclamation. He was sentenced to 23 years in prison at the first trial and 15 years at the second.
The former minister was indicted on charges including receiving instructions from the former president to blockade key institutions such as the National Assembly and to cut power and water to media companies, and then ordering the National Fire Agency commissioner to take measures. He was sentenced to seven years in prison at the first trial and nine years at the second.
The former prime minister, the former minister, and Special Counsel for Insurrection Cho Eun-suk's team all appealed the second-trial rulings.